Gyutaro swung his twin blood-red sickles with savage ferocity.
Each strike carried deadly poison capable of killing even powerful opponents.
Beside him, Daki coordinated flawlessly with her brother.
The obi sashes extending from her back twisted through the air like living blades, attacking from unpredictable angles and cutting off every avenue of escape.
Faced with the combined assault of the demon siblings, Haigra showed no fear.
Instead, his excitement only grew.
The hunger in his eyes became increasingly obvious.
"You two are exceptional."
His grotesque mouth stretched wider.
"Once I devour you, I will become even stronger!"
With a roar, Haigra lunged forward.
His target was not Gyutaro.
It was Daki.
The decision was simple.
Although Daki was powerful, she was clearly the weaker of the two siblings in direct combat.
If he could eliminate her first, the battle would become far easier.
Haigra accelerated toward her.
Before he could reach his target
SHINK!
A blood-red sickle pierced through his ankle.
Gyutaro grinned viciously.
"You think I'm going to let you touch my sister?"
The chain attached to his weapon tightened.
Gyutaro spun his body violently.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Then he released the sickle.
Haigra's enormous body was flung through the air like a stone from a sling.
Elsewhere, Gyokko, Hantengu's emotion clones, and Kokori were locked in a chaotic battle.
Suddenly
A figure came hurtling toward them from the sky.
Everyone froze.
Even Kokori's centipede heads paused for a brief moment.
The flying figure crashed directly toward the battlefield.
Instinctively, one of Kokori's giant centipede tails lashed outward.
BOOM!
The strike connected perfectly.
Haigra was sent flying again.
Like a ball being batted away, he was launched straight back toward the battlefield he had come from.
For several seconds, silence lingered.
Karaku blinked.
Sekido frowned.
Even Gyokko looked momentarily confused.
Had one of their own allies just been sent flying across the battlefield?
What had just happened?
A strange sense of regret surfaced within them.
If they had reacted a little faster, perhaps they could have landed a few attacks while he was airborne.
Unfortunately, the opportunity was gone.
Haigra, meanwhile, had nearly exploded from rage.
First he had been thrown by his opponent.
Then struck by a supposed ally.
The humiliation was unbearable.
The moment he landed, he immediately charged back toward Gyutaro and Daki.
"You despicable creatures!"
"You ugly monsters!"
The words had barely left his mouth before he realized his mistake.
Gyutaro froze.
For a moment, everything became quiet.
The expression on his face darkened.
His eyes became hollow.
The insult struck deeper than any wound.
Ugly.
That word had haunted him since childhood.
People mocked him.
Feared him.
Despised him.
Every painful memory surged to the surface.
The next instant
His killing intent exploded.
"You…"
Gyutaro vanished.
SLASH!
His sickle carved straight through Haigra's torso.
But someone was even angrier.
Daki.
Her beautiful face twisted with fury.
To her, Gyutaro had always been the most important person in the world.
From the moment they were born.
Through every humiliation.
Through every moment of starvation and suffering.
He had protected her.
Supported her.
Loved her unconditionally.
The memory of their human lives resurfaced.
The samurai who had attempted to violate her.
The fire.
The pain.
The hatred.
Everything returned.
And now someone dared to insult her brother?
Daki's eyes widened with murderous rage.
"Don't you dare insult my brother!"
Her obi exploded outward.
The battlefield trembled.
"You worthless piece of trash!"
Countless blades formed from the sashes.
They surged toward Haigra from every direction.
"As long as I'm with my brother "
The sharp ribbons pierced through Haigra's flesh.
Gyutaro's poisoned sickles followed immediately afterward.
"Everything becomes easy."
Blood splattered.
The siblings attacked together with perfect synchronization.
Their voices echoed simultaneously.
"We are invincible!"
While one pair of siblings fought side by side on the battlefield
Another pair occupied the minds of those far away.
At the Butterfly Mansion, Tanjiro had finally finished explaining Nezuko's unusual condition.
Tamayo listened carefully.
The more she heard, the more surprised she became.
"Nezuko has never consumed human blood?"
The revelation astonished her.
Even Kanae found the situation extraordinary.
She thoughtfully considered everything she had observed.
"Nezuko also shows unusual resistance to wisteria."
"She may have undergone some kind of mutation."
Tamayo's eyes immediately brightened.
As a researcher, such a phenomenon was impossible to ignore.
If Nezuko truly differed from ordinary demons, her blood could contain invaluable information.
After obtaining Tanjiro's permission, Tamayo requested a blood sample.
Unfortunately, Nezuko remained wary of her.
The young demon quickly hid behind her brother and shook her head repeatedly.
Tears gathered in her eyes.
Clearly, she was unwilling.
Eventually, Tanjiro came up with another solution.
He brought Inosuke into the room.
The effect was immediate.
Nezuko's attention shifted completely.
Wearing the boar mask Inosuke had lent her, she happily ran around the room.
While chasing him through the ward, she finally allowed Tamayo to draw a small sample of blood.
Watching the scene unfold, Zenitsu nearly collapsed.
He leaned against the doorframe.
Tears streamed down his face.
His teeth dug into the wood.
"Nezuko…"
"Why him?"
At that moment, Yushiro entered another room.
Inside were Sanemi Shinazugawa and Obanai Iguro.
Both Hashira were still recovering from their injuries.
The instant Sanemi noticed Yushiro
His eyes widened.
"A demon!"
Instinctively, he reached for the Nichirin Blade resting nearby.
Unfortunately, the movement reopened his injuries.
Pain immediately shot through his body.
Kanae hurried into the room.
She quickly explained Kagaya Ubuyashiki's decision regarding Tamayo and Yushiro.
Obanai remained silent for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"If it is Oyakata-sama's decision, I will obey."
Sanemi was far less cooperative.
His face twisted with frustration.
"How can you trust demons so easily?"
Kanae's expression became stern.
Without warning, she grabbed the bandages supporting his injured arm.
"Then recover first."
"After that, you're free to argue all you want."
Sanemi immediately fell silent.
For once, he chose not to continue the discussion.
Kanae looked genuinely angry.
That alone was enough to stop him.
Outside the room, Giyu Tomioka had arrived to visit.
Seeing the situation inside, he opened his mouth.
"I think "
Before he could finish, Shinobu immediately grabbed him and pulled him away.
"Mr. Tomioka."
Her smile remained perfectly pleasant.
"You should avoid saying anything."
"Otherwise, people might dislike you even more."
Giyu considered her words seriously.
Then nodded.
That sounded reasonable.
He immediately gave up on entering the room.
Meanwhile, Tamayo completed her examination.
She handed several specially prepared medicines to Kanae.
Additional samples were stored for future research.
Then she looked toward Nezuko.
The young demon was still happily wrestling with Inosuke.
A gentle smile appeared on Tamayo's face.
"Miss Nezuko…"
Her voice carried genuine hope.
"You may become the key to defeating Muzan Kibutsuji."
Far away, the battle continued.
Kokori remained trapped between Gyokko and Hantengu's emotion clones.
The pressure continued mounting.
Even Hantengu's original body had somehow found the confidence to complain.
"You're bullying an old man!"
"How shameless!"
Kokori stared at him.
For several seconds, he genuinely couldn't find words.
The creature before him was a demon responsible for countless deaths.
Yet somehow, he still considered himself the victim.
It was unbelievable.
Sekido, however, showed no interest in conversation.
His anger continued to grow.
Lightning crackled around his khakkhara staff.
"You dare glare at me?"
His expression twisted.
"I'm the one who's angry!"
At the same time, Kokori altered his strategy.
His body split apart.
The five centipede forms moved independently.
Each possessed powerful venom and tremendous regenerative ability.
Four of them immediately rushed toward Hantengu's emotion clones.
The fifth charged directly at Gyokko.
The centipede's jaws opened.
It lunged.
Then
CRUNCH!
Its mandibles struck Gyokko's arm.
And shattered.
The centipede froze.
Gyokko's transformed body was covered in diamond-hard scales.
The bite had failed completely.
Not only had it failed
The attack had broken the centipede's own jaws.
Gyokko looked down.
A smug smile spread across his face.
"How unsightly."
Before the creature could retreat, Gyokko's hand touched its body.
His Blood Demon Art activated instantly.
The centipede transformed into a writhing mass of grotesque fish.
One of Kokori's five bodies had been eliminated.
Watching the transformed remains flop across the ground, Gyokko folded his arms proudly.
Then, for a brief moment, he glanced toward the other battlefields.
"I wonder how the others are doing."
The thought had barely formed when another violent explosion shook the mountain.
The battle was far from over.
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